


There's this girl I like

by tahanrien



Category: District 9 (2009)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 21:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tahanrien/pseuds/tahanrien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Wikus, there is only one reason to make it through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's this girl I like

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brokengravity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokengravity/gifts).



> Thank you so much for the lovely and really well-done beta, Kastaka! :D

Once in a month, the guards aren't as watchful as they are on the other days. Sometimes it's Tuesday. Sometimes Fridays, just when the sun has set and the District becomes quiet - and dark, because the first thing they did was to rip out the bulb and sell them. There was only ever one day a week. Never two, never three. And how Wikus would've loved to have three days.

With only one night he had to hurry, had to climb, run, jump faster. He was lucky, if one could call it 'lucky', that his alien body was able to deal with these demands. He could hide better, be faster, stronger than before. Not that he needed it. On other nights and days, yes, he needed it, because if there were fights in the District he could stay clear of them.

But in the driveway to his former house, normally there were no fights.

Wikus ducked lower into the bushes. If someone had looked directly at him, he would've been found; but the driveway was empty as always, and up in the bedroom Tania was already asleep. Still, he waited a few beats before going around the house. They had chosen the house together, because of the layout, which would've been a perfect setting to have children in. Because of the garden. Because of the little balcony in the back, which had only ever been pretty to look at, but never had been useful until these days.

With practiced movements Wikus got ready; then he took three long strides and jumped up. As always, his claws just managed to find a hold on the slick stone of the balcony. It had rained earlier and Wikus' claws weren't made for this, but he managed.

Carefully Wikus hoisted himself up, then stopped midway. For a moment the glassed door looked as if it was closed, and the thought crushed Wikus. All through the last year, the door had always been slightly opened. Of course Wikus held no illusions: Tania wanted fresh air. It wasn't like she knew he was climbing into her window, once in a week.

Like he was doing now. Wikus lightly pushed the door almost closed again behind himself, then took a moment to familiarize with the surrounding area. Sometimes things changed, a chair in a different position, a hairbrush on the floor, and Wikus knew there was one thing he shouldn't do, and that was to wake up Tania. When Christopher Johnson had finished whatever he needed to do for three years, Wikus would finally be able to go back to Tania as himself, but until then he only had the secrecy at night.

This was one of the good nights at least. Before the rain the air had been warm and thick, and this kind of air still lingered in the bedroom despite the open door. Tania was asleep on the bed, and had thrown back the light sheet she used to cover herself with on nights like these.

Wikus could see her hair glistering in the few rays of light that made it through the window. He could smell that she had taken a bath before bed. Droplets of water clung to her body, but maybe that was sweat. Either way, he could smell her, better than he had ever been able to do as a human. Her mouth looked inviting, her eyelashes were dark smudges on her face. Slowly, one of the droplets of water, or sweat, or maybe even dew, ran down her cheek. It looked like a tear.

Wikus wanted to lick it up.

But even his sex drive was only theoretical in this new form. His didn't have a prick, he didn't need one. He could just think of it and then he would be able to press one of those eggs out of his body after a week, which would look just as disgusting as it would feel, Wikus was sure. Still, the heavy desire was there, as was the need, and the love.

Slowly Wikus climbed onto the bed, careful not to put too much weight on one side and thus wake Tania up. He lowered himself until he wasn't quite touching her, but could feel the warmth of her body. The sheet was by now pooling around Tania's feet and her night grown was rucked up.

Wikus lined up and made a small movement with his hips, a twist he might have done if he was making love to her. She would enjoy it, she always had told him so, and for a moment he wondered about alien pricks. How Tania would... Instantly Wikus felt crude and undeserving of an angel like his Tania was.

He imagined cuddling up to her, afterward. The little quiet breathless laughs she would make. The smile they would share. Oh so carefully, Wikus raised his hands and brushed a claw against the sleeping Tania's cheek, just in front of him, where her dimples would be showing if she had been awake.

Alas, the touch was too much, for Tania stirred lightly. “Hmm,” she murmured, though still asleep. “...Wikus?”

“I'm here, baby. My angel,” Wikus couldn't help but whisper tonelessly. “I'm here.”

And he wished so much that he could stay. Tania slipped into her dreams once again and her brows furrowed, then smoothed out; her lips were drawn at one moment into a smile, then again into a frown; as if she was dreaming a vivid dream.

Lying like this, with her not even an inch under him, Wikus didn't feel the time go by. The hours were endless and at the same time too short. And it was with dread that Wikus raised himself away from his sleeping wife as the first rays of sunlight broke through the open window.

His claws had left imprints on the bed and Wikus rumpled the sheets a little so the dents weren't noticeable anymore. Then, blowing her a kiss and a promise that didn’t need to be spoken aloud, he slowly left the room. Not as he had entered it. Instead he fished in the loose pockets in the clothes he was wearing, having managed to get something suitable out of the piles of cast-off clothes; he pulled out the tiny, rubbish flower.

He knew he was silly and maybe childish, and it wasn't as if he was really good at the craft. But giving Tania each flower, building those tiny little gifts for her, Wikus felt that each one was a promise: that he would come back, as himself, in the end. In one year and sixty-five days.

Wikus knew that if he left the flower beside Tania on the pillow, she would grow alarmed, suspicious even. And for nothing in the world would Wikus risk these quiet hours, once a week at night, he could still spend with his wife.

So he crept down the stairs, moving silently. At the door, he didn't think much about pulling it open.

He didn't know who was more surprised, Piet Smit, Tania's dad, or himself, to see the other one. Piet had his hand raised to the door bell and his mouth fell open in shock. Wikus automatically wanted to say something, but Piet was fast for a man as old as he was. He whipped his gun out and pointed it straight at Wikus. “Down! Hands up, prawn,” he shouted. Surprised, Wikus stumbled back, hitting the small table next to the door. It went down, and him with it. Wikus was still gripping the flower tightly and thus couldn't quiet catch the fall. Now he sat there, staring up in the barrel of the gun.

“Fucking prawn!” Piet continued. “Stay. Down!”

“Dad...?” Tania's voice came from upstairs.

“Stay up! There is one of the fucking prawns in here, probably just got in-- He's trying to rob the house! Call the police! And you stay down, you bastard! I know you can understand me! I've got it under control, honey!”

Wikus could hear Tania's scream behind him as he slowly rose, then, with a fast and precise movement, knocked Piet's arm away. The gun went flying and Wikus didn't wait around for Piet to get it back. He couldn't kill Piet, not with Tania there, no matter what the man, what the MNU had done to him, because after all, Piet was Tania's father.

Wikus ran out into the night. Piet had been alone, a simple family visit, so no one followed Wikus, although during his way back he thought he heard police sirens. They were too far away anyway, and Wikus didn't care.

The guard wasn't yet posted. It would be easy to slip back into District 10. And then there would be another week. But Wikus would be back then.

He looked down to his hand. He still had flowers to give to Tania.


End file.
